Has Karnataka Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda decided to take the battle into former chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa’s camp and wean away die-hard supporters with cabinet berths?
Sources close to Mr Sadananda Gowda said the leader wants an expansion as he would be able to move on two fronts.
One, fill several vacancies in the cabinet and reduce the burden of managing as many as 19 portfolios. Two, the offer of a place in the cabinet would, it was hoped, be accepted by supporters of the former chief minister, and whittle down the numerical strength of BSY’s camp, sources told Deccan Chronicle.
“Central leaders have given their nod of approval for a cabinet expansion,” sources close to the developments also said.
Sources also said prior to the bypoll to Udupi-Chikmagalur Lok Sabha constituency, the party had tentatively approved a list which includes legislators Haladi Srinivas Shetty (Kundapur), C.T. Ravi (Chikmagalur), Appu Pattanasetty (Bijapur), Basava-raj Patil Attur (Basavakalyan), Sogadu Shivanna (Tumkur), Apachu Ranjan (Madikeri) and A. Anand Singh (Vijaynagar).
The list would now be revised to incorporate staunch supporters of Mr Yeddyurappa.
Sources in Mr Yeddyurappa’s camp, however, were confident that the leadership issue would be sorted out ahead of the expansion.
They also warned that any move to wean away supporters with the offer of ministership would only deepen the crisis in the ruling party and would be rejected by BSY loyalists.